Christie issues Cottagers goals plea

Fulham's Premier League survival hopes this season could depend on their ability to get more goals, according to Cyrus Christie.

The Cottagers kept their first clean sheet of the league campaign in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Newcastle, a drab affair during which the home side failed to trouble goalkeeper Sergio Rico once.

They might have emerged with a rare victory had either former Magpie Aleksandar Mitrovic or substitute Aboubakar Kamara managed to make the most of late opportunities at St James' Park.

And Christie knows that is where they have to improve as they prepare for home clashes with Wolves and Huddersfield.

Christie said: "They are two big games. We are getting better as the games go by. We're defending well, but we just need to score a few more goals now and keep the clean sheets and I'm sure we'll be fine."

Fulham left the north east with plenty of positives after manager Claudio Ranieri opted for the first time to field a three-man defence, but wondering what might have been.

Christie said: "It was a hard-fought draw. We had chances at the end there, but when your luck is out, that's what happens.

"We defended well, it's a clean sheet and it's a point on the board. If we had won, the table would look a bit better, but we have got two home games coming up now and we need to make the most of them."

The draw took the club's points tally into double figures - they now have 10 from their 18 games - but they remain at the foot of the table, if only by virtue of goal difference behind Huddersfield and Burnley, who are two points better off.

This article originated on sportinastorm.com

Craig Smithson is a journalist with over two decades of experience at the keyboard. A life-long Middlesbrough fan, Craig has an in-depth knowledge of all football and is also a keen fan of boxing amongst other sports.